Related: Minnesota Twins Trade Jorge Polanco to Seattle Mariners for Haul of Players and Prospects

In 347 plate appearances last season, Buxton managed near career lows in most offensive categories, pumping a .207/.294/.438 slashline (.732 OPS), which is league average, when considering his wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus), but not the type of old school baseball metrics that will move the meter for most fans, when you’re paid more than just about everybody else on the roster.

It also represents a notable decline from his .258/.316/.558 slashline (.874 OPS) between 2019 and 2022. Buxton’s impressive offensive performance over those four years, along with his exceptional defensive skills and speedy base running, established him as one of the league’s most exciting players.

Byron Buxton making these plays in 2024 will be elite, even if it’s for 60-75 games (DH for 40). pic.twitter.com/3VyOUCzZAN

— Jeff (@MNTwinsZealot) December 31, 2023

Recently, steam has been building that Buck’s knee has been feeling good, following his most recent surgery this offseason. Then, over the weekend, Buxton confirmed at Twinsfest that he’s going to get back out to the outfield in Spring Training, announcing “I’m back” to the crowd of Twins fans gathered at Target Field over the weekend.

Minnesota Twins View Byron Buxton as Everyday Center Fielder

Recently though, multiple insiders including Jon Morosi (MLB Network) and Bobby Nightengale (Star Tribune), took it a step farther reporting that the Twins are so encouraged about the progress Byron Buxton has made since he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in October, that they’re planning their 2024 outfield around having Buxton as their everyday center fielder.

How encouraged are they? Encouraged enough that their only backup plans are Willi Castro and prospect Austin Martin. Derek Falvey tells Morosi that Buxton is testing out better in his flexibility and strengths tests than he has in years. So… no Michael A. Taylor or any other ‘A’ grade insurance option or 1a/1b rest buddy who can take center field regularly throughout a grueling 162-game season.

As much as the Twins liked what Taylor contributed last year, they view Byron Buxton as their starting center fielder. They’re encouraged by Buxton’s progress since he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in October, and they have Willi Castro and prospect Austin Martin as depth options in center.

Bobby Nightengale – StarTribune

“Oh yeah, I'm back.” – Byron Buxton on playing center field this season@jonmorosi | #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/BiEvNDPl3G

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 30, 2024

Related: Everything You Need to Know About New Minnesota Twins Prospect Gabriel Gonzalez

Last season, the Twins acquired Michael Taylor to fill in for Buxton, and he excelled in that role. Taylor filled in for Buxton throughout the season and is now in a position to turn his performance into a favorable free agent contract. He also hit 21 home runs last season.

Can Byron Buxton Stay Healthy

Really, the key is Byron Buxton’s inability to stay healthy during his nine seasons in the major leagues. Buxton has only managed to play in 100 games in one season, a 140-game campaign in 2017. Since then, he has averaged just 65 games per season, never exceeding 92 total appearances.

Given his struggles with injuries, the team had hoped that assigning Buxton as their full-time DH in 2022 would increase his availability on the field. However, that strategy did not work. We’ll see if going all-in the other way pays off.

Related: Mr. October Carlos Correa Has Arrived and He is Beautiful

Because sometime between the hours of 12:30 and 1:00 a.m CST on the morning of March 19 that spring, the Minnesota Twins and Carlos Correa agreed to a 3-year contract (really just a one-year) that sent shockwaves through the baseball community. I happened to wake up around 1:30 a.m, thought I was dreaming, and had an article up by 2:15 a.m.

Not only was I not dreaming, but after a few contracts fell through one offseason later, Correa now resides in the Twin Cities long-term. But that shocking signing nearly two years ago was a franchise-altering moment that changed the trajectory of the Twins organization forever.

This is October.
This is Carlos Correa. #WeBelieveinTC pic.twitter.com/omkPgpshIv

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 9, 2023

And it was all thanks to MLB super agent, Scott Boras, who found himself frustrated with the long-term offers being made to his client, Carlos Correa at that time. In response, Boras turned to the Twins and offered them what we thought was a once in a lifetime opportunity to snag a superstar in Minnesota, even if it would’ve been for just one summer.

Scott Boras holding up the MLB offseason again?

But the MLB offseason market is once again at a stand-still in 2024, just like it was entering the spring back in 2022. And guess what, it’s Scott Boras who is playing chicken with MLB front offices yet again. All five of the top free agents remaining on the market, and six of the top eight, are all Scott Boras clients.

• OF – Cody Bellinger (28-y/o) | Boras
• SP – Blake Snell (31 y/o) | Boras
• 3B – Matt Chapman (30 y/o) | Boras
• SP – Jordan Montgomery (31 y/o) | Boras
• DH – J.D. Martinez (36 y/o) | Boras
• SP – Julio Urias (27 y/o) | Boras

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins have been so quiet this offseason that, for awhile, many were wondering if there were any live souls walking around Target Field headquarters for a month or more. At the beginning of the offseason, the the Twins announced that they would be cutting back payroll before the start of Spring Training, citing the many unknowns surrounding their TV contract and $60 million in revenue that was up in the air.

Related: Handful of MLB Teams Including Twins Duped by International Prospects Lying About Age

A few months later, that TV/streaming situation is still yet to be figured out. Nonetheless, whether it be as part of the Amazon deal just signed by Bally Sports or they find another route, it appears the Twins are heading toward a solution that won’t cover all $60 million of that lost revenue, but certainly a large chunk of it. And President Dave St. Peter says they are very optimistic about future possibilities.

Recently, Derek Falvey and Rocco Baldelli have been out, about and talking kind of big. Rocco Baldelli went on KFAN radio last week and told Dan Barreiro that he would bet on something big happening before the team gathers less than a month from now for Spring Training. And reporters around town seem like they know something we don’t.

Twinsfest was packed and the club expects to easily pass 2 million in attendance this season. You know why? The team was good. This is why they should keep adding.

— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) January 27, 2024

Are Minnesota Twins playing dead for Scott Boras again?

Suddenly, the Twins have gone from dead in the casket, ‘we’re not spending anything, don’t even call us’… to pumping up fans and media members with optimism that something big might be on the horizon. Which begs to question, are the Twins in cahoots with Scott Boras again?

Has Falvey been waiting to deal Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco until they know what kind of surprise Boras might have for them under the offseason tree this time around? If Boras were to throw the Twins Bellinger, Snell or Montgomery, three superstars at their positions, just like they did Correa in 2022, Minnesota would be able to fill in a position of need and then adjust their offseason plan from there.

Related: Twins Trade Chips Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler Both Participating in ‘Twinsfest’

How would they afford one of those players? The front office has already cut about $25 million in player salary this offseason and now they’re starting to feel better about the TV situation. And sure, they don’t want to trade Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco for prospect packages, right now.

But if an expensive free agent addition were to change their approach, Falvey could find another $20 million by dumping their salaries for prospects, instead of demanding a tit-for-tat MLB talent only deal. Of course, there’s nothing being officially reported on something like this, but there wasn’t back in 2022 either.

Then, I woke up to go pee and the entire franchise future had been changed. So, I’m not saying to hold your breath until Cody Bellinger or Blake Snell are in Minnesota Twins uniforms. But this is absolutely something worth monitoring, at this point.

Related: Rocco Baldelli Would Bet on Twins Making a Significant Move Before Spring Training

On Friday night at Twinsfest, when asked if he’d be playing defense this spring, Byron came off as even more confident than his manager or president of baseball operations, saying “oh yeah, I’m back”.

Byron Buxton asked about playing in CF: “Oh yeah. I’m back.” #MNTwins TwinsFest Live pic.twitter.com/LhUv6M885K

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) January 27, 2024

Byron Buxton ready to be Minnesota Twins center fielder again

As a designated hitter last season, Buxton posted a career low (seasons > 100 PA) batting average of .207, along with his worst OBP since 2020, worst slugging percentage since 2017 and his worst OPS+ since 2017. It’s safe to say the designated hitter experiment was a complete and utter failure.

But the Minnesota Twins hope that getting Byron back in center field will lead to better results at the plate. From what we’ve seen throughout his career, Buck’s proficiency as a baseball player has to do with his health. Yes, he was able to play in over half (barely) of the Twins’ games last season. But even when he was in the lineup last season, he was far from 100%. Let’s be real, Buxton would have been in the outfield, had he been anywhere near healthy.

Related: Twins Interested in Jake Odorizzi, Who Impressed in Recent Showcase

If whatever recent cleanup procedure fixed the chronic pain he feels in his knee when putting regular strain on it, and Buxton can keep himself out of walls and from further injury, I’d imagine he will be much closer to the player we remember, than what he was last year.

But, only time will tell. Spring training begins in less than one month.